Welche Schularten präferieren Studierende des Lehramts Sekundarschule Allgemeinbildung als Arbeitsort?

The reform of Austrian secondary school teacher training has merged the previously separate degree programmes for ‘academic’ and ‘non-academic’ secondary schools into one joint degree programme. This means that the decision as to which type of school students wish to work in, which was previously made by enrolling in a specific degree programme, is now left open. Among other things, this raises the question of whether students’ placement preferences match the needs of secondary school types.

Using longitudinal data on the implementation of the new teacher training programme, we examine the question of which secondary school types students aspire to work in. Secondly, we ask whether those students who express an exclusive preference for ‘academic secondary schools’ as a place of work differ in socio-demographic, occupational and study-related characteristics from their peers who are open to teaching in all types of schools.

Earlier studies indicated a disproportional preference for ‘academic schools’ and a mismatch between the preferences of first-semester students and employment opportunities at secondary level. Our results from the final study phase indicate a greater willingness to teach in school types other than ‘academic schools’. Our data show no reliable differences in the career-related entry characteristics between the different ‘preference groups’; the subject-related self-concept that characterises those students who express an exclusive preference for ‘academic schools’ is apparently only developed in the course of their studies.